Porcelain Stories: From China to Europe

Published in conjunction with an exhibition to be held at the Seattle Art Museum in February 2000, this volume spotlights about 200 exquisite ceramics that trace the worldwide evolution of porcelain. Together with Jennifer Chen (Chinese art history scholar), Emerson and Mimi Gardner Gates of the Seattle Art Museum present a series of intertwined narratives and color plates that explore porcelain's beginnings in China around A.D. 600, as well as its diverse developments as a new and fashionable commodity within China and throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. They also focus on cultural and stylistic interchange between East and West, placing porcelain objects in the context of their times and cultures and retracing technological, aesthetic, and commercial evolution of this art form over 12 centuries. Distributed by the U. of Washington Press. Oversize: 10x11< >. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)